Sustainable Denton seeking public input for plan

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The city of Denton is creating a sustainability plan, and city leaders are putting power in the hands of the community.

The vision is to make the city more eco-friendly while making the most out of existing resources.

Denton Looks for Feedback on Sustainability Plan

The City of Denton is hosting two public meetings to gather public input on its sustainability plan. (Published Friday, April 1, 2011)

"We want to restore, we want to protect our environment. We want to look at the social aspects, look at the economic aspects, look at the environmental aspects and how all of that fits together to create a sustainable community," Denton's Sustainability Administrator Katherine Barnett-White said.

Barnett-White said the city is meeting with residents on April 6 and 7 to roll out a plan.

"This is the community's opportunity to give us their ideas and strategies to get us there," she said.

They'll discuss initiatives already in place, like the landfill gas collection that power 1,600 homes in Denton and the wind energy program that supplies 40-percent of the city's power.

"Denton has always been a leader in environmental programs," Barnett-White said.

She said expansion of existing projects and creation of new ones needs to be a three-tier process. The city needs help from residents and business leaders.

"If you are thinking globally, you have to act locally. One step at a time," Paul Tanis, the General Manager for Cupboard Natural Foods in Denton, said.

Tanis said that his "green" business is more than the organic food they sell. From its recycling center to water collection tanks, the Cupboard is on board with the city's vision.

"Sustainability to me means being a good steward with the resources that are entrusted to us," Tanis said.

Tanis hopes other businesses and residents will jump on the sustainability bandwagon.

The Sustainable Denton public meetings will take place on April 6 and 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Denton Civic Center.